OK Ms. Sarah, I'll Call You Back

An evening phonecall from Kamari last night managed to turn a single homework question into a three-act event.  

Act 1:

Hello?
Hi Ms. Sarah.
Is this Kamari?  You have to say, "Hi. This is Kamari, can I speak to Ms. Sarah?"
Oh.  OK.  Hi.  This is Kamari, can I speak to Ms. Sarah?
Hi Kamari.  Do you have a question about the homework?
Yeah....for the decimals.....HOLD ON GRANDMA!

[Someone talking in the background]

Hold on Ms. Sarah.

[More talking in the background]

NO GRANDMA, I'M NOT!

[click]

[Ms. Sarah wonders what Kamari so adamantly 'is not.'  Kamari--are you done with your homework?  Kamari--are you bothering your teacher on the phone?]

Act 2, one minute later:

Hi.  It's Kamari again.


[Kamari asks question about decimals.  Ms. Sarah answers question about decimals.]

[Talking in the background]

OK Ms. Sarah, I'll call you back.  Click.

["But...the conversation was over," thinks Ms. Sarah.  There was no more to be continued.  There is no need for calling back....]

Act 3, another minute later: 

[Ms. Sarah talks to Kamari's dad about decimals to settle the "lively debate" they had been having on the subject.  Ms. Sarah hangs up, unconvinced that she has heard the last of Kamari's burning homework question.  Eight year olds, after all, are quite the quirky phone users and message leavers.]
Image: freedigitalphotos.net

2 comments:

Sherri said...

Too funny! I think you are the bravest teacher I know, giving out your number to solve rousing debates about things like that.

You DO know that the homework is harder for us parents at times than the kids??

Sarah Garb said...

I can imagine! If I weren't a third grade teacher, I'm sure I wouldn't remember half of this stuff! I don't mind answering homework questions at all and helping to avoid a meltdown. These phonecalls have been thoroughly entertaining :)

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